The Nigeria Police Force on Tuesday announced plans to sanction the officer heading the unit implicated in the controversial arrest of a senior reporter with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism, Sodeeq Atanda.
The spokesperson for the Nigeria Police Force, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, disclosed this in a statement shared on his verified X handle on Tuesday, following public outrage over the detention of the journalist’s wife and nine-month-old child, who were allegedly used as bait to lure him.
PUNCH Metro learnt on Tuesday that the incident occurred on Monday when officers from the Inspector-General of Police Monitoring Unit reportedly detained Atanda’s wife, Adenike, and their infant at a location in Ikorodu, Lagos.
According to FIJ, the police compelled Adenike to call her husband under the pretence that their child was ill and needed hospital attention.
When Atanda arrived, he was reportedly handcuffed and taken to the Force Headquarters in Obalende.
The FIJ publisher and editor-in-chief, Fisayo Soyombo, confirmed the arrest and subsequent release in a post on X, stating that the arrest stemmed from an investigative report by Atanda.
Atanda was released shortly before midnight on Monday alongside his family, a development that sparked widespread outrage over police conduct and press freedom.
Reacting to the incident, activist and Sahara Reporters publisher Omoyele Sowore criticised the police tactics as “deeply disturbing,” accusing the police under Kayode Egbetokun of collaborating with private interests to abduct civilians and undermine law and order.
In response on X.com, Hundeyin defended the Inspector-General of Police, stating that Egbetokun was “miffed” upon learning of the arrest through the International Press Institute.
“In as much as you might want your depiction of the IGP to be true, it isn’t. I was with him last night when Mojeed Musikilu of the International Press Institute reached out to me about the arrest.
“I promptly informed the IGP, and he was miffed. You might choose to believe I am making this up, but it is the truth.
“He directed that the head of the unit (not a DPO as you claimed) be contacted to release the journalist immediately. I updated Mojeed accordingly,” Hundeyin said.
He further emphasised that the Inspector-General ordered the journalist’s immediate release and directed that the unit head be sanctioned.
“The IGP was particularly angry that this came up at a time when the police had pledged and are taking tangible steps to ensure press freedom. He equally ordered that the head of that unit be sanctioned for his conduct.
“IGP Egbetokun does not want and would not condone any setback to our support for press freedom,” Hundeyin added.
The arrest of the journalist has added to growing concerns over police clampdowns on journalists by security operatives.
An editorial by The PUNCH in 2024, quoting another report, disclosed that about 25 journalists had been prosecuted under the Cybercrime Act since its introduction, including eight under President Bola Tinubu’s administration as of 2024.
According to the editorial, under Tinubu’s predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, journalists suffered undue persecution, including Jones Abiri, Agba Jalingo, and Sowore, the publisher of the online newspaper, Sahara Reporters.
Read the full article here
